Colombia has recently decided to extend its nationwide gun ban rule until the end of 2016, with the intention to minimize the number violent deaths. Currently, the country is doing its best to spread peace.

InSight Crime revealed that on Jan. 19, 2016, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced that the executive decree that bans the carrying of firearms in public places will continue until the end of 2016. An article on El Pais also stated that, previously, the ban was supposed to last from Dec. 23, 2015 to Jan. 31, 2016.

According to BBC Mundo, this is the first time that Colombia has issued a nationwide prohibition in the carrying of firearms. Bans were only limited to particular regions and such periods were also much shorter before.

The president also stated that the previous ban resulted in a reduced number of homicides. Luis Carlos Villegas, Colombian Minister of Defense, reported that homicides dropped by 13 percent compared to the same period the year before. 82 percent of violent deaths in Colombia involved a firearm.

Villegas said that there are two main problems that will be addressed by the gun ban. First, it will reduce homicides originating from arguments. The country has issued 400,000 possession permits and 500,000 carry permits for guns. The executive order means that all carry permits will be reverted to possession permits. There are only certain instances when individuals are allowed to bring firearms in public.

Based on the same report by InSight Crime, Jorge Restrepo, director of the country’s Center for the Study and Analysis of Conflict, speculates that the extension of the executive order will lower the use of firearms in homicide cases by about 20 percent throughout 2016.

The nationwide gun ban is expected to make Colombia safer. Currently, the country is safer and less violent compared to any period in the last decade. Homicide rates have been continuously going down since 2002. In 2002, the rate was 69 per 100,000, which dropped to 25 per 100,000 in 2015.

Colombian security forces are also expected to be more vigilant to prevent people from violating the decree during the year. The Colombian government is in the last phase of peace negotiations with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, a guerrilla group. If the peace deal is successful, the FARC will surrender their weapons and move into politics. The year-long gun ban will be useful in ensuring the security of FARC members and join the peace process.

More updates and details on Colombia’s gun ban are expected soon.